I would like to have a medicinal herb graden and would like to know what herbs are best. I realize, from many of my books, that there are several different herbs that do the same thing. Does any one know what herbs have multi uses that would help save space in the garden?

I am also interested in any info on other medicinal plants, not just herbs, and how they are harvested.

-- Wendy Antes (philllips-anteswe@mail.cpp.usmc.mil), September 17, 2001

Answers

Purple or Pale purple coneflower would be a good choice. It's a beautiful flower and the root is used to make an immune system booster that's great for cold and flu season (echinacea). It likes full sun as it's a prairie plant. Some of the other common medicinals (ginseng, bloodroot, goldenseal) are forest plants and need shade.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 17, 2001.

I was about to post just "Healing what?", and it's still a valid question. Mankind is heir to many ailments, and it would be just about impossible for any one person to keep up with the lot - let alone in the compass of a single garden, or even a single farm.

HOWEVER, I decided to take a quick look at the universal source of information, just to find out what sort of information is available. This forum is great for personal experiences, or some specialised information, or just plain friendship and support. However, the entire web is best for general information, and that's the sort of thing you're looking for. Do as I did: go to www.google.com, and enter "healing herbs" as the search phrase. Don't forget it has many screens-full of information - keep clicking on "next" to get the next screen.

EVERYONE: please check with google when you want to know something. Google is an incredible source of RELEVANT information - you'll be utterly blown away by the answers you get.

Best wishes, Wendy.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), September 17, 2001.

I suggest you buy a book on medicinal herbs and then decide which ailments you would most like to try to treat. I like "Herbal Medicine, The natural way to get well and stay well" by Dian Dincin Buchman, PhD. Try a used book store if you don't want to buy new. You have to think about how hard it is to grow and also how much you need to harvest to be able to use it. Most people dont grow chamomile because it takes alot of blooms to get enough for a cup of tea. Also, depending on your area, you might be able to find quite abit in the wild. Dandelions for instince. I attend a medicinal herb seminar every spring to find out new ways of healing and get ideas and some new plants. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss anything any further.

Kellie

-- Kellie Duncan (kashaa@swbell.net), September 17, 2001.

Wendy it would take volumes to answer your question. So here is the short of it. Some suggestions:

Culinary Garden - a must; Rosemary, Sage, Parsley and Thyme! Chives, Bay Laurel Tree.

Tea Garden - Mint, Lemon Verbena or Lemon Balm, Bee Balm, Hyssop

Medicinal Garden - Yarrow (for bleeding; razor nicks, bloody nose, cuts also used in tea for asprin), Feverfew (anti-inflammitory; allgeries, migraine headaches, and artritis), Purple Cone flower as mentioned above, Valerian, Catnip, Horehound, Lavender

You have to look at your climate and that will tell you what you can grow. Then take a look at what kinds of ailments you need or will need to treat. Silly to grow a medicinal that you will never use and all plants have some value medicinally.

Helpful site: http://www.gardenweb.com/forums

As for harvesting, some herbs are beter dried while others make better tinctures. When you decide which herbs best suit your needs then you will know how to harvest and store.

-- Ima Gardener (ima@gardener.com), September 18, 2001.

I always plant calendula. Its great for ointments etc for healing skin conditions.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), September 18, 2001.

I use garlic for anything that a doctor might put someone on antibiotics for, it also works well to cure strange intestinal problems and sinus infections. When ever I start to suspect I'm getting sick, when I am sick, or if people around me are contageous, I take a large garlic clove, cut it into pill size pieces and swallow them. They will travel through your intestines whole and work like a time release capsle. In a few hours to a day I always recover from whatever... the only side affect is smelly urine.

-- Sarah Brown (joypeaceandlove@hotmail.com), September 19, 2001.

Wendy, I have been trying to contact you off list, but the email keeps coming back to me. nancy

-- nancy (stoneground@catskill.net), September 20, 2001.

Hi Wendy, I know this is a few months after your post, but this is a subject that I love! :-) First of all, all medicinal plants are considered herbs. If you want to do this, you need to do some research on which herbs you would like to grow, and if they'll grow in your area. Some are easy, and some are hard, there are annuals and perennials, some invasive and some not. What you grow is personal preference though. I started out with mine and planted all kinds of things. I realized that I didn't need a lot of them, but, I do enjoy having them in my gardens. I may need them someday too, you never know. The one I do grow and use faithfully is Echinacea Purpura. I will never be without it! I also grow Lemon Balm, Mints, Skullcap, Golden Seal, Burdock, Mullein, Catnip, Horehound, and Yarrow. I have others, and others have died off. I've grown Calendula, but it doesn't grow well where I live, and Chamomile, Feverfew and St. John's Wort. I grow Rosemary, but it has to be brought in in the winter here. It is fun growing them and it's nice to have them even if you don't use them. Just pick a few to start with and after awhile, you'll know which ones you'll use and which ones you don't want to mess with. I was naive about the mints though, and I'll never get rid of them. Not that I'm trying to, but they do take over aggressively. It's good to grow them in containers just under the ground. Every fall I pull it all up by the roots, and every Spring, it comes back with a vengence. Yarrow does that too. Mullein is good for several different things like skin problems and lung problems. You can make an oil with the flowers that can heal ear infections. Echinacea is a must. The mints can be useful(lemon balm and catnip are soothing and Horehound is very good for the lungs, peppermint is the stomach one), Yarrow has several different uses. St. John's Wort is good for depression and skin problems. The ones that I love just for their scent are my rosemary, lavender, and lemon balm. Just run your hands through them lightly and the essential oils will cling to your hand. They smell wonderful!

-- Diana (rock_hunter83@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.